Colombia

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received about demonstrations in Colombia by the human rights movement known as the Patriotic March.

Alistair Burt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the hon. Member for Taunton Deane (Mr Browne) on 4 September 2012, Official Report, column 299W, to the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon).

Gibraltar

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Spanish government over the incursion by Guardia Civil vessels into Gibraltarian waters on the nights of 23 and 24 May 2012 despite receiving repeated orders from the Royal Navy to leave.

David Lidington: We were deeply concerned by the incursions on 23 and 24 May. We protested formally to the Spanish authorities soon after the incursions took place. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed this with Spanish Foreign Minister Garcia-Margallo on 29 May. Spanish agencies do not have any jurisdiction in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW). We are confident of UK sovereignty over BGTW and are committed to upholding UK sovereignty. We make this clear to the Spanish Government whenever appropriate.

Nigeria

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of reports of attacks on churches in Nigeria; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Ongoing inter-communal conflict and attacks by violent extremists have caused suffering in both Christian and Muslim communities in Nigeria. Responsibility for many of these attacks, including increasingly those against places of worship, has been claimed by the Islamic extremist group commonly known as-Boko Haram. Boko Haram has also claimed responsibility for attacks against political and traditional leaders, as well as members of Nigeria's security forces. We assess that such attacks aim to provoke religious divides in an otherwise tolerant nation. The British Government condemns all such instances of violence.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 12 July 2012, Official Report, column 443, on energy bills, what the evidential basis is for his statement that one million pensioners will receive a £130 reduction in their bills in this financial year.

Gregory Barker: The Warm Home Discount Scheme Core Group element requires, by law, participating energy supply companies to provide £130 discounts off the energy bills of customers notified to them by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey).
	The Government uses limited data sharing between energy companies and the Department for Work and Pensions to inform energy companies which customers should receive this discount.
	In 2012-13, to be eligible for the Warm Home Discount Core Group, pensioners will need on 21 July 2012 (the qualifying date) to either be aged under 80 and receiving only the guarantee credit element of pension credit or be aged 80 or over and receiving the guarantee credit element of pension credit. In addition, the pensioner, their partner or appointee needs to be named on their electricity bill and to receive their electricity from one of the energy suppliers participating in the Warm Home Discount Scheme.
	We know that on 21 July 2012 some 1.4 million pensioners were in receipt of the benefits set out above. We can use information for the 2011-12 Warm Home Discount Scheme Core Group to estimate how many of these pensioners are likely to be found through data matching (and who receive the discount automatically) and how many will not be matched automatically (but are expected to receive a letter informing them that they may be eligible, meet the eligibility requirements for being named on the bill and using a participating energy supplier and then make a successful claim). In 2011-12, a total of over 78% of this group were matched automatically or made a successful claim.
	Since there have been no significant changes to the process, we have estimated that at least a similar percentage will be successful for the 2012-13 scheme year. On this basis, we expect around one million pensioners lo be notified to the energy suppliers this winter.

Fuel Poverty

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to his Department's document, Estimated impacts of energy and climate change policies on energy prices and bills, what assessment he has made of the effect on levels of fuel poverty of rising energy costs attributable to energy policies.

Gregory Barker: Each year, DECC measures and publishes estimates of the number of fuel poor households in England. The current definition of fuel poverty means that a household is fuel poor if it would need to spend more than 10% of income on adequate energy services in the home. The latest estimates, which were published by the department in May 2012, showed that there were 3.5 million fuel poor households in England in 2010 and that this was expected to increase to 3.9 million households by 2012. These estimates reflect all of the key drivers of fuel poverty: energy prices, household incomes, energy efficiency of the housing stock and the effect of Government policies.
	The Department has not made an assessment of the aggregate impact of rising energy costs attributable to energy policies in future years on fuel poverty. However, the fuel poverty impacts of particular policies are often produced as part of policy impact assessments, particularly where those policies have particular significance to fuel poverty. As a good example, see the recently published impact assessment of the Green Deal.

Fuel Poverty

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 and the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy 2001, what assessment he has made of his Department's progress towards eradicating fuel poverty for all households in England by 2016.

Gregory Barker: The coalition Government is committed to doing all that is reasonably practicable to end fuel poverty in England by 2016 and to supporting low income vulnerable households heat their homes at an affordable cost.
	The current definition of fuel poverty means that a household is fuel poor if it would need to spend more than 10% of income on adequate energy services in the home. The latest estimates, which were published by the Department in May 2012, showed that there were 3.5 million fuel poor households in England in 2010 (which was around 0.5 million households lower than in 2009) and that this was expected to increase to 3.9 million households by 2012.
	Although the number of households in fuel poverty reduced between 2009 and 2010, fuel poverty remains a huge challenge. This Government has a range of policies to address the contributing factors of fuel poverty, including Warm Front, Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, Warm Home Discount, winter fuel payments and cold weather payments. In the future, the new Green Deal and energy company obligation will be our flagship policy for improving the energy efficiency of the nation's housing stock.

Geothermal Power: Iceland

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 12 July 2012, Official Report, column 446, on geothermal energy, if he will make a statement on the memorandum of understanding with the Icelandic government on geothermal heat and power.

Charles Hendry: I signed a memorandum of understanding with the Icelandic Minister of Industry, Energy and Tourism on cooperation in the energy sector on 30 May 2012. In this the two Ministries agreed, “inter alia”, to exchange information and cooperate to support the development of the deep geothermal sector in the UK, including in the supply of heat to district heating networks.
	Iceland has considerable knowledge and experience in the deep geothermal sector from which we hope to be able to learn to promote such developments in the UK.

Nuclear Power Stations

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects to announce details of the financing and timetable for new nuclear power stations.

Charles Hendry: The Government is committed to ensuring that conditions are right for investment in new nuclear in the UK and continues to work with interested parties to secure this investment. We have completed our facilitative actions on planning, financing for decommissioning and waste disposal and reactor design and set out reforms to transform the power sector to enable future low carbon investment including new nuclear. It is for energy companies to construct, operate and decommission nuclear power stations without public subsidy. Industry has set out its plans to develop up to 16GW of new nuclear power in the UK by 2025.

Regulation

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has made an estimate of the (a) cost and (b) time required for a business to comply with each piece of regulation for which it is responsible.

Gregory Barker: The cost and time required for a business to comply with new domestic regulation are calculated in line with the one-in, one-out methodology. The Government publishes the Statement of New Regulation twice a year; this gives an overview of the net cost to business from new domestic regulation.

Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on what date he last had a bilateral meeting with the Secretary of State for Scotland; and what matters were discussed.

Gregory Barker: DECC Ministers and officials meet regularly with their counterparts in the Scotland Office and other Departments to discuss a range of issues. As has been the case with successive administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Efficiency and Reform Agenda

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent progress his Department has made on his efficiency and reform agenda.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Henley (John Howell), at oral questions earlier today.

Voluntary Sector Funding

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the total reduction in funding to the voluntary sector in 2011-12.

Nick Hurd: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for North Tyneside (Mrs Glindon), and the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland (Helen Goodman), at oral questions today.

Aviation: Disability

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she has plans to increase legislative obligations on UK and international airlines to provide wheelchair access to aircraft.

Simon Burns: The Department for Transport has no plans to increase legislation on this issue EC Regulation 1107/2006 gives disabled air travellers and persons of reduced mobility access to air travel and assistance when they fly to and from Europe. It imposes legal obligations on airport managing bodies, air carriers, and their agents or tour operators.

Email

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons his Department does not operate a dedicated email account for hon. Members to send correspondence directly to Ministers; and what plans his Department has to establish such an account.

Norman Baker: The email addresses for Ministers at the Department for Transport are:
	Patrick.McLoughlin@dft.gsi.gov.uk
	Simon.Burns@dft.gsi.gov.uk
	Norman.Baker@dft.gsi.gov.uk
	Stephen.Hammond@dft.gsi.gov.uk

Equality Act 2010

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 15 September 2010, Official Report, column 49WS, on the Equality Act 2010, when he plans to fully implement section 165 of the Equality Act 2010.

Norman Baker: We are still considering the case for commencing section 165 of the Equality Act 2010. I intend to make an announcement in the near future.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of unregistered foreign vehicles in the UK;
	(2)  how many registered foreign vehicles there were in the UK in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Stephen Hammond: The Department has not made any estimates of the number of unregistered foreign vehicles in the UK. However, the Department has estimated that 0.41% of distance driven by vehicles in Great Britain during 2011 was driven by foreign registered vehicles. Vehicles from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands are not counted as 'foreign'.
	Further statistics on foreign vehicles can be found at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/statistics?orderby=title&post_type=table&s=tra32

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many unregistered foreign vehicles that should have been registered have been identified in the UK in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport does not hold this data.
	There is no central database that records foreign registered vehicles. Foreign registered vehicles temporarily brought into the UK by overseas residents are usually exempt from UK registration and licensing under EU legislation. This exemption allows a vehicle which is compliant in its home country to be used by the visitor for up to six months in any 12-month period, or until the visitor becomes resident in the UK.
	Any estimates that we could produce would be extremely inaccurate because there are no reliable tracking methodologies.
	In 2010-11 (most recent numbers available), the number of vehicles registered in another country who applied to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority to be registered in GB was 99,421.

Parking: Fees and Charges

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with local authorities on the 50 per cent discount on penalty charge notices for payments made within 14 days.

Norman Baker: The Secretary of State has not had discussions with local authorities on the subject of the 50% discounted rate for payment of penalty charges notices within 14 days.
	Local authorities have a statutory obligation under part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 to offer a 50% discount for payment of penalty charges made within 14 days of receipt. The Secretary of State advises English local authorities in the Operational Guidance, Parking Policy and Enforcement, that if an informal challenge is received within the discount period and subsequently rejected, the enforcement authority should consider re-offering the discount for a further 14 days.
	Advice and legal references regarding the penalty charge discounted rate is obtainable at the following web link:
	http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/tma-part-6-cpe-guidance/parkingenforcepolicy.pdf

Railways

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the High Level Output Specification announced on 16 July 2012, how much of the funding will be provided by (a) the Exchequer and (b) fare-payers in (i) cash and (ii) percentage terms; and what the effect of this expenditure will be on Network Rail's debt level.

Norman Baker: Exchequer funding for the railway in England and Wales is set out in Table 1 of High Level Output Specification:
	http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/hlos-2012/railways-act-2005.pdf
	Future fare-box revenue is a commercial matter for the train operators and will depend on the bids received for franchise competitions.
	The level of Network Rail's debt is a matter for Network Rail within the limits set by its regulator.

Railways: Fares

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the potential effect on rail ticket prices of the High Level Output Specification programme for 2014-19.

Simon Burns: The High Level Output Specification was drawn up on the basis of our current agreed regulated fares policy as set out in the 2010 comprehensive spending review as updated in the autumn of 2011: a rise in 2012 of RPI+1% and RPI+3% for 2013 and 2014, returning to RPI+1% thereafter. The Government is committed, once savings are found in rail and the improvement in the wider economic situation permits, to reducing and then abolishing above-inflation rises in average regulated fares.

Renewable Energy

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the likely contribution of the transport sector to the Government's renewable energy target of 15 per cent by 2020 under the Renewable Energy Directive.

Norman Baker: The Renewable Energy Directive (RED) contains a target for the UK to source 10% of energy used in transport, from renewable sources, such as biofuels, by 2020. We expect much of the progress towards that target to be made through the supply of biofuel.
	In implementing the RED in December 2011 we did not increase the targets relevant to biofuel supply set under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation because of uncertainties over the sustainability of certain biofuels and the need to address the issue of indirect land use change at EU level. We will continue to consider what additional measures will be required to ensure that the UK delivers the requirements of the RED in the period 2014 to 2020.

Rolling Stock

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2012, Official Report, column 43W, on rolling stock, for what reason the projected carriage numbers for the Intercity Express Programme rolling stock contract have been reduced since May 2010.

Simon Burns: The projected number of carriages for the Intercity Express Programme rolling stock contract fell from 950 to slightly more than 750 under the previous Administration, but has not decreased substantially since May 2010. A small number of carriages were reallocated in later phases of IEP, rather than in the first phase, and following ongoing reviews of how the train sets can be deployed, Agility Trains proposed delivering a similar level of service with a lower number of carriages as a result of more efficient deployment of rolling stock.

Rolling Stock

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he will take to ensure that economies of scale in rolling stock purchasing and cascade are maintained in the event of the devolution of rail franchising to the North of England.

Simon Burns: We are still considering responses from the recent consultation on the possibility of devolving decision-making on passenger rail services in England.
	As we said in paragraph 4.65 of the Department for Transport's publication, Reforming our Railways: Putting the Customer First, CM 8313, in future Government will give greater flexibility to franchisees over the rolling stock decisions they make when bidding for franchises.

Cabinet

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what bilateral meetings he has had with each of his Cabinet colleagues since May 2010.

Michael Moore: I have had regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues since May 2010 on a range of issues affecting Scotland. These discussions take place in a number of forums including: bilaterals, Cabinet and Cabinet Committee meetings and in regular informal discussions.

Construction

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the effect of the recession on the construction industry in Scotland.

Michael Moore: Official GDP figures for Scottish construction show a 6.9% fall during the first quarter of 2012. While these figures are disappointing, the UK Government is taking firm action through initiatives such as the Funding for Lending Scheme and the new UK Guarantees Scheme which will dramatically accelerate major infrastructure investment.
	The UK Government have already brought forward the means to help with major projects such as the Forth Replacement Crossing. In addition, since the spending review 2010 the Scottish Government received over £1 billion of additional Barnett consequentials. This includes more than £432 million in capital spending alone as part of the autumn statement.

Insolvency

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the recent changes in the level of personal insolvencies in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Moore: Official statistics show there were 5,601 personal insolvencies in Scotland in the first quarter of 2012-13. This figure represents a 5.3% increase on the same period in the previous year. Against a challenging economic backdrop, the Government is pursuing policies to support families and return the economy to balanced, sustainable growth.

Unemployment

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on the potential effect of under-employment on the Scottish economy.

Michael Moore: I meet with my ministerial colleagues on a regular basis to discuss matters concerning the economy in Scotland. The latest official Scottish labour market figures for the quarter up to June show an increase of 12,000 in employment and a fall in unemployment. In fact, unemployment has fallen for the fifth consecutive month of reporting. The Work programme is continuing to provide support for people on their way to long-term employment.

Flood Control

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the £72 million funding from third party sources for flood defences, which third parties have contributed funding; how much each third party has contributed; and which projects in each parliamentary constituency will receive funds from this source.

Richard Benyon: Best estimates indicate that partnership funding should secure around £72 million of external funding on top of the £2.17 billion the Government are investing in flood prevention over this spending period (April 2011 to March 2015). Contributions have come forward from businesses, local authorities and communities.
	The following table lists schemes moving into construction this year (2012-13) where there are confirmed external contributions. Schemes commencing construction in future years do not, as yet, have confirmed funding.
	
		
			 Annex 1 Table listing details of schemes proceeding in 2012-13 with external contributions [data accurate as of February 2012] 
			 Project name MP Constituency RFCC Total cost £ million Total external contributions £ million 
			 River Mersey Warrington FRM Scheme David Mowat Warrington South North West 28.9 6.6 
			 Morpeth Flood Alleviation Scheme Ian Lavery Wansbeck Northumbria 21.0 10.4 
			 Sandwich Town Tidal Defences Laura Sandys South Thannet Southern 19.9 10.0 
			 Salmons Brook Flood Alleviation Scheme Nick Dubois Enfield North Thames 8.4 3.9 
			 Littlehampton Arun Tidal Defences East Bank Nick Gibb MP Bognor Regis and Littlehampton Southern 11.5 0.7 
			 Godmanchester Flood Defence Improvement Scheme Jonathan Djanogly Huntingdon Anglian Central 8.8 3.7 
			 Chelmsford Flood Alleviation Scheme Simon Burns Chelmsford Anglian Eastern 8.6 5.1 
			 Hatton, Scropton and Egginton, Lower River Dove, Flood Alleviation Scheme Heather Wheeler South Derbyshire Midlands 7.1 2.0 
			 Thames Weirs High Priority Programme Package 2 Nicola Blackwood Oxford West and Abingdon Thames 4.3 0.3 
			 Seaton Carew Northern Management Unit Phase 2 Iain Wright Hartlepool Northumbria 4.1 0.1 
			 Water End Flood Alleviation Scheme, York Hugh Bayley York Central Yorkshire 3.4 1.0 
			 Newbury Flood Alleviation Scheme Richard Benyon Newbury Thames 2.5 0.3 
			 Beverley Brook at Worcester Park Paul Burstow Sutton and Cheam Thames 2.2 1.3 
			 Lewsey Park Flood Storage Area Kelvin Hopkins Luton North Thames 1.9 0.8 
			 West Wittering Flood Banks Andrew Tyrie Chichester Southern 1.7 0.6 
			 Gilberdyke and Blacktoft Flood Management Project David Davies Haltemprice and Howden Yorkshire 1.2 0.6 
			 Eastrington and Laxton Flood Management Project David Davies Haltemprice and Howden Yorkshire 0.8 0.5 
			 Saddler's Mill Stream Culvert Refurbishment Andy Lowe Edmonton Thames 0.8 0.7 
			 Lubbesthorpe Brook, Lubbesthorpe, Leicester, Flood Alleviation Scheme Andrew Robathan South Leicestershire Midlands 0.7 0.5 
			 Fairford Critical Evaluation Geoffrey Clifton- Brown Cotwolds Thames 0.7 0.7 
			 Roaring Gutter Island bank stabilisation Laura Sandys South Thanet Southern 0.6 0.3 
			 Bridge Road Emsworth, Flood Alleviation Works David Willetts Havant Southern 0.4 0.3 
			 Kirkley Stream Peter Adlous Waveney Anglian Eastern 0.4 0.1 
			 Cranleigh Watercourses Anne Milton Guildford Thames 0.3 0.3 
			 Skidby Appraisal and Construction David Davies Haltemprice and Howden Yorkshire 0.3 0.3 
			 Kerridge Pumping Station Improvement Works James Paice East Cambridgeshire Anglian Central 0.3 0.1

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay of 18 June 2012 regarding puppy farming.

Richard Benyon: I am sorry that my hon. Friend did not receive my noble Friend Lord Taylor of Holbeach's reply to his letter to the Secretary of State, which was sent on 9 July 2012. I have arranged for a copy to be sent to his parliamentary address.

Correspondence

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport with reference to the letter from her Department dated 30 September 2011, reference number 181868/dm/24, when her Department plans to contact the constituent of the hon. Member for North West Durham, Mrs Lesley Wearmouth.

Edward Vaizey: My officials spoke to the hon. Member's constituent on 3 September. It transpired that an email sent to Mrs Wearmouth in October 2011 was not received. The matter has now been fully resolved.

Public Libraries

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what information her Department holds on the number of libraries closed in each local authority area in each of the last three financial years; and how many libraries currently operate in each local authority area.

Edward Vaizey: Data about the public library sector are published annually by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). Their annual statistics do not provide the number of openings or closures, or the number of libraries that have transferred from the public library service to community-management; but instead show the net figure of public libraries open in each year. Data showing the number of public libraries in each library authority in the UK can be found in CIPFA's annual statistics, available in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The Department supplements these data by monitoring proposals about changes to library services across England through information gathered via correspondence, media coverage and from relevant bodies such as Arts Council England. From this monitoring over the past year, the Department estimates that around 60 static libraries closed during 2011-12. During the calendar year to date, the Department also estimates that 40 new or significantly refurbished libraries have opened; full details can be seen in a recent letter to Public Libraries News, which can be found at the following link:
	https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9r-dNr4kPL0NWp6NmVBODdtOGM/edit?pli=1

Swimming Pools

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if she will provide additional ring-fenced funding to secure the future of (a) Guisborough, (b) Loftus and (c) Saltburn swimming pools.

Hugh Robertson: The funding of swimming pool provision is a matter for local authorities. Sport England has a number of tools which local authorities can use to help them make informed decisions regarding the need for, and location of sports facilities, including swimming pools. Once local authorities have developed a strategic plan for their facilities, they can apply for sports lottery funding from Sport England, which has a range of capital programmes which could support the refurbishment or re-provision of swimming pools.

British Nationality: Assessments

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when her Department plans to update its document, Life in the UK: a Journey to Citizenship;
	(2)  what estimate her Department has made of the number of inaccuracies in its document, Life in the UK: a Journey to Citizenship; and what assessment her Department has made of the effect of such inaccuracies on applicants.

Damian Green: A new edition of the handbook ‘Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship’ is currently being finalised with the aim of publishing it later this year. We are aware that the existing handbook has some out of date information, which will be remedied by the publication of a new edition. In the meantime, questions for the life in the UK test which are no longer valid are in any case removed from the question bank so candidates should not suffer any adverse effects.

Dorset Police

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect of the damping formula on funding for Dorset constabulary.

Damian Green: Damping is a means of ensuring stability in funding for police authorities between years. The totality of the Home Office Police Core Settlement and funding from the Department of Communities and Local Government and Welsh Government in 2012-13 has been damped so that every force will face an equal percentage reduction (6.7% cash). This is a transparent and straight forward approach which mirrors the approach taken last year.
	In 2012-13, the effect of damping was to reduce the core Government funding to Dorset Police Authority by £2.4 million, compared to what they would receive if the Police Allocation Formula was fully implemented. An informal consultation on damping closed on the 29 June 2012. The responses are still being considered, after which a decision will be taken on damping for 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Driving Offences: Insurance

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average fine was for using a motor vehicle uninsured against third-party risks by area in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: The number of offenders fined at all courts and the average fine given for using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks, by police force area in England and Wales, for 2011 can be viewed in the table as follows.
	
		
			 Offenders fined at all court and the average fine given for using a vehicle uninsured (1) , by police force area, England and Wales, 2011 (2) 
			 Police force area Total fined Average fine (£) 
			 Avon and Somerset 1,581 237.04 
			 Bedfordshire 1,397 256.88 
			 Cambridgeshire 888 251.29 
			 Cheshire 1,911 326.87 
			 Cleveland 678 253.35 
			 Cumbria 829 233.38 
			 Derbyshire 1,589 284.76 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1,982 246.11 
			 Dorset 1,209 299.51 
			 Durham 1,085 228.19 
			 Essex 2,579 290.21 
			 Gloucestershire 807 250.69 
			 Greater Manchester 3,793 256.86 
			 Hampshire 2,151 253.21 
			 Hertfordshire 2,463 290.08 
			 Humberside 1,590 225.41 
			 Kent 2,782 293.84 
			 Lancashire 3,597 293.24 
			 Leicestershire 1,219 259.91 
			 Lincolnshire 1,288 281.86 
			 London City of 405 335.80 
			 Merseyside 2,378 261.65 
			 Metropolitan Police 18,844 313.92 
			 Norfolk 1,248 261.48 
			 Northamptonshire 1,445 321.96 
			 Northumbria 2,626 234.25 
			 North Yorkshire 1,018 256.87 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,341 265.35 
			 South Yorkshire 2,254 235.49 
			 Staffordshire 1,577 266.01 
			 Suffolk 895 252.63 
			 Surrey 1,530 294.01 
			 Sussex 1,969 258.19 
			 Thames Valley 1,962 270.02 
			 Warwickshire 1,006 358.54 
			 West Mercia 1,744 274.20 
			 West Midlands 5,263 270.95 
			 West Yorkshire 4,991 311.17 
			 Wiltshire 690 294.31 
			 Dyfed Powys 1,062 280.56 
		
	
	
		
			 Gwent 1,122 263.84 
			 North Wales 1,283 296.47 
			 South Wales 3,526 241.36 
			 England and Wales 95,597 280.34 
			 (1) Offence used: Road Traffic Act 1988, S.143(2)—Using motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many hearings for appeals against refusal of employment and support allowance which have been upheld were (a) paper hearings where the appellant was not in attendance, (b) hearings with the appellant in attendance but without representation and (c) hearings with the appellant in attendance with representation since the introduction of that allowance.

Helen Grant: Appeals against decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions on an individual's entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) are heard by the first-tier tribunal (social security and child support).
	The following table shows the number of upheld ESA appeals where (a) the appellant/representative was not in attendance, (b) the appellant was in attendance but without representation and (c) the appellant was in attendance with representation, since the introduction of that allowance. Appeals can be made against elements of an ESA award made, such as the rate of entitlement, as well as against the decision to refuse ESA. These appeals are included in the figures provided as follows.
	
		
			 Upheld employment and support allowance appeals 
			   2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 (a) Total number of hearings where the appellant/representative was not in attendance 40 16,600 41,600 45,400 
			  Appeals upheld where the appellant/representative was not in attendance (1)0 2,200 6,700 6,800 
			       
			 (b) Total number of hearings where appellant was in attendance without representation (1)0 16,800 40,200 62,300 
			  Appeals upheld where the appellant was in attendance without representation (1)0 9,400 23,300 35,800 
			       
			 (c) Total number of hearings where the appellant was in attendance with representation (1)0 8,500 18,200 23,700 
		
	
	
		
			  Appeals upheld with the appellant in attendance with representation (1)0 6,000 12,900 16,800 
			 (1) Employment and support allowance (ESA) was introduced on 27 October 2008 replacing incapacity benefit. There were therefore only a very small number of appeals in 2008-09. 
		
	
	The data is sourced from published statistics and management information Values of 1,000 and over are rounded to the nearest hundred.

Prisoners: Community Work

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners absconded from work placements in the community, and whilst travelling to or from work placements in the community in the last year for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: The following table shows the total number of prisoners who failed to return to prison following a temporary release on licence (ROTL) in the 12 months from April 2011 to March 2012. This includes failures to return from all types of ROTL and not just prisoners outside the prison on work placements. Without incurring disproportionate cost the numbers cannot be broken down further to identify those who failed to return from work placements, or whilst travelling to or from work. Of the 211 prisoners listed here, 197 have been returned to custody.
	
		
			 Table 1: Prisoners released on licence, and who failed to return April 2011 to March 2012 
			  Non returns 
			 April 2011 19 
			 May 2011 13 
		
	
	
		
			 June 2011 14 
			 July 2011 19 
			 August 2011 22 
			 September 2011 22 
			 October 2011 25 
			 November 2011 14 
			 December 2011 13 
			 January 2012 22 
			 February 2012 16 
			 March 2012 12 
			 Grand Total 211 
			 Note: These figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. The number of failures to return may change should further incidents be reported.

Prisoners: Community Work

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what risk assessment was carried out by the Prison Service before allowing Bernard Lee Sharkey to work at Newham Grange Country Farm in Coulby Newham.

Jeremy Wright: As the case of Mr Sharkey is subject to ongoing inquiries, it would not be appropriate to comment upon the individual circumstances of his case at this time.
	An indeterminate sentence prisoner is transferred to open conditions only after a robust risk assessment and, in most cases, upon the recommendation of the independent Parole Board. It is recognised that open prisons provide a controlled environment in which to test prisoners in conditions more closely akin to the outside community. It provides them with an opportunity to establish stronger links with their family and to develop suitable employment and accommodation plans in time for their eventual release.
	Indeterminate sentence prisoners who fail to comply with the regime or whose behaviour gives cause for concern are swiftly returned to secure conditions.
	At HMP Kirklevington Grange, all indeterminate sentence prisoners are required to undertake a phased return to the community which involves working out in the community. Before permitting temporary release, the prison will conduct a further risk assessment and consider the suitability of the prisoner for the particular type of placement proposed.
	Temporary release on licence will be approved by the Governor only if the risk presented by the prisoner to the community is such that it may be effectively managed. Prisoners who fail to return from a period of temporary release may be arrested and returned to prison where they can face prison disciplinary measures or prosecution carrying a maximum penalty of a further six months imprisonment.

Wellingborough Prison

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average number of prisoners held at Wellingborough Prison was in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: Data is not held centrally on the average prison population in each establishment. Instead we typically use the 30 June figures to look at annual trends. The following table shows the number of prisoners held in HMP Wellingborough as at 30 June each year from 2008-12.
	
		
			 Prison population at HMP Wellingborough as at end of June (1) 
			  Number 
			 2008 641 
			 2009 626 
			 2010 540 
			 2011 580 
			 2012 563 
			 (1) 2009 data onwards are based on data from a new prison IT system. 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total monetary value was of the Medical Services contract between his Department and Atos Healthcare in 2011-12; and what the projected value of the contract is for 2012-13.

Mark Hoban: The total cost of the Medical Services Contract amounts for the 2011-12 financial year was approximately £112.4 million. This figure not only covers the total number of medical assessments undertaken across all benefits, but also costs relating to written and verbal medical advice, fixed overheads, administrative costs, investment in new technology and other service improvements.

Bereavement Benefits

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that those who are eligible for bereavement benefits take them up.

Steve Webb: The Government keeps under review the way that information is made available about benefits so that bereaved people, at this very difficult time in their lives, know about their possible right to benefit and can act on it at the right time.
	This builds on the continued roll-out of Tell Us Once, where people will be asked whether they would like to claim bereavement benefits when a death is registered.

Bereavement Benefits

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many individuals have claimed bereavement benefit in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of individuals who are eligible for bereavement benefit.

Steve Webb: The Government keeps under review the way that information is made available about benefits so that bereaved people, at this very difficult time in their lives, know about their possible right to benefit and can act on it at the right time.
	This builds on the continued roll-out of Tell Us Once, where people will be asked whether they would like to claim bereavement benefits when a death is registered.
	National Statistics datasets contain information on the new claims for all regularly paid bereavement benefits (sum of fresh claims for bereavement allowance and widowed parent's allowance together). This information is available on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) website through the Statistics Tabulation Tool:
	http://83.244.183.180/flows/flows_on/bb/cdquarter/ccbbtype/a_carate_r_cdquarter_c_ccbbtype.html
	The total number of new claims made for such benefits in each of the last five years (those who started a claim from the quarter ending May 2007 to the quarter ending February 2012) was between 25 and 27 thousand per year.
	The Department does not as a matter of course publish statistics on bereavement payment; however page seven of the benefit reform impact assessment indicates the number of claims of this kind:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/bereavement-benefit-reform-ia.pdf
	The Department does not have an estimate of how many individuals are eligible for bereavement benefit.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many jobseekers' allowance claimants, in which Jobcentre Plus districts, and over what period have been required to participate in the Fast Signing procedure;
	(2)  what the evidential basis was for his decision to require some jobseekers’ allowance claimants to participate in Fast Signing procedures as an alternative to the Jobcentre Plus standard operating model.

Steve Webb: The Department is currently trialling reduced-length fortnightly jobsearch reviews (or ‘speed signing’) to gather evidence on the most effective way to support claimants off benefits.
	The trial is taking place in two Jobcentre Plus districts: Greater Manchester East and West and Surrey and Sussex. 15,670 claimants were randomly allocated to receive speed signing before recruitment to the trial closed in May 2012. This was the number of people judged necessary to give the trial a reasonable chance of detecting a statistically significant impact. These participants will continue to receive speed signing until May 2013, unless they leave benefit or join the Work programme. A pilot in 2005 showed that shortening the length of a fortnightly jobsearch review did not have a statistically significant impact on off-flow rates. However, the 2005 trial involved a relatively small number of participants. There is therefore a need to repeat the trial with more participants in order to generate more robust results.
	The quantitative evaluation of the 2005 pilot is presented in DWP Research Report 382, which is available at the following link:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2005-2006/rrep382.pdf

Remploy

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which organisations his Department has engaged to deliver the Remploy Mentoring for Success programme; and how much each organisation is to be paid.

Esther McVey: I can confirm that the two organisations that have been engaged to deliver the Remploy Mentoring for Success programme to support people affected by the Remploy factory closures are “The Mentoring and Befriending Foundation” and “Equal Approach”.
	Remploy have been commissioned by DWP to deliver the Mentoring for Success programme, the Department have allocated a total budget of £700,000. To deliver this programme Remploy are working with Mentoring and Befriending Foundation along with Equal Approach. In regards to how much each organisation is paid depends on the uptake of the Mentoring service currently being offered within the 27 factories, operations at Boston Spa and to Modernisation employees, it is an optional support for employees and the actual costs could result in being lower. Final costs are not fixed and will be determined by how many Mentors are needed.

Universal Credit

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make provision in the universal credit system to ensure that people in need of refuge support as a consequence of domestic violence have access to short-term housing support equivalent to that provided under the current housing benefit system.

Steve Webb: The Government is committed to tackling domestic violence and to providing better support for victims. It is our intention that universal credit will not cause a reduction in support levels for victims of domestic violence.
	The housing benefit rules that currently apply for those living in refuges and other supported housing are complex to administer and understand. We do not intend to reduce the overall level of support that the sector currently receives from housing benefit but we do intend to simplify and streamline the current arrangements.
	We have conducted a consultation on proposals to redesign and simplify these arrangements and we received a substantial number of often comprehensive replies. We are continuing to develop plans for new funding arrangements under universal credit and we expect to announce further information in due course.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has carried out analysis of future universal credit claimants to establish (a) how many households will be affected by the transition to universal credit, (b) how many such claimants are worried about the change to universal credit and (c) how many claimants will be capable of managing universal credit; and if he will place a copy of any such analysis in the Library.

Mark Hoban: The Department estimates that 12 million claims to current benefits and tax credits will be integrated into eight million household claims to universal credit.
	‘Work and the welfare system: a survey of benefits and tax credits recipients’ was published on 12 July 2012. The research was commissioned to help DWP implement universal credit by providing detailed information on views and attitudes to work, budgeting skills and internet use among a representative sample of benefit units who would be impacted by the transition to universal credit.
	We recognise that some claimants may need additional help to budget, particularly during the transitional period. We are working, with the advice sector to ensure that claimants are able to access appropriate budgeting support services to enable them to manage their money successfully.
	For a minority of claimants however, an alternative payment arrangement may be required in addition to the above support. This includes making more frequent than monthly payments of universal credit to households, splitting payment between both joint claimants or paying housing costs directly to the landlord.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has issued any guidance or recommendations to Atos on the degree of variance from the average outcomes that should trigger an audit of a health professional's work capability assessment decisions.

Steve Webb: As part of quality monitoring procedures, DWP and Atos have agreed ranges for a number of parameters relating to the outcome of health care professionals (HCPs) advice within which the vast majority of HCPs fall. An example of one of these parameters is the percentage of claimants where the HCP advises that they satisfy the support group criteria: If the HCP falls outside this range, they are subject to quality assurance procedures to ensure that the quality of their advice is satisfactory. If quality assurance identifies no problems then no further action is undertaken.

Blood: Contamination

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2012, Official Report, column 26W, on blood: contamination; for what reason the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs, reversed its 2009 recommendation on the importation of Fresh Frozen Plasma although the risk of transmitted variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease by blood remains unchanged; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  with reference to the minutes of the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs meeting of 9 March 2012, to what extent cost-effectiveness is used to inform Government policy on public health safety measures on (a) blood safety and (b) variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease;
	(3)  if he will publish the data his Department used to inform its decision to accept the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs on Fresh Frozen Plasma of 9 March 2012; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  for what reason the data his Department used to inform its decision on the importation of fresh frozen plasma is not publicly available;
	(5)  what the names are of the companies his Department and its relevant committees approached to (a) inform their thinking on extending importation of fresh frozen plasma and (b) estimate the cost of extending importation of fresh frozen plasma; and when each company was approached.

Daniel Poulter: On making the March 2012 decision on the importation of fresh frozen plasma, the independent scientific Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) considered all the available evidence including safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness. SaBTO concluded that there should be no extension of the importation of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) to patients beyond those for whom it is already recommended (high-usage adult patients, and those aged 16 and under (i.e. born since 1996), who are unlikely to have been exposed to BSE through diet). SaBTO's terms of reference require consideration of cost-effectiveness evidence when making recommendations. A key consideration is the number of potential future clinical vCJD cases that might be caused by transfusion of FFP in the absence of any extension to importation. Given the continuing scientific uncertainties, a precautionary approach remains justified, and a wide range of scenarios have been considered. Nevertheless, the continuing absence to date of any known clinical cases attributable to FFP transfusion restricts the range of future possibilities, and the cost-effectiveness calculations used by SaBTO reflect this point.
	Information used by SaBTO in making their recommendation is publicly available, redacted in accordance with freedom of information principles, at:
	www.transparency.dh.gov.uk/2012/04/24/sabto-9-march-2012/
	A copy has also been placed in the Library.
	Details that could provide commercial information are not included for reasons of commercial confidentiality.

Dementia

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department had with (a) industry and (b) other Government departments and agencies to ensure that they have put in place dementia-friendly policies since the Prime Minister's challenge on dementia.

Norman Lamb: As part of the Prime Minister's challenge on dementia, the Dementia-friendly communities Champion Group, which is co-chaired by Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, and Angela Rippon, is taking forward work with a range of organisations including industry to deliver key commitments relating to dementia-friendly communities. By 2015, we want to see up to 20 cities, towns and villages signed up to become more dementia-friendly and we want to see support from leading businesses for the Challenge. This work is being supported by the Dementia Action Alliance, which is a group of over 100 organisations including charities, businesses and industry who have signed up to the National Dementia Declaration and are working together to improve quality of life for people with Dementia and their carers. Each member of the Alliance has published an action plan setting out publicly what it will do to help improve outcomes for people with dementia and their carers over the lifetime of the National Dementia Strategy to 2014. All Government Departments were engaged with the development of the Prime Minister's Challenge on Dementia and we will continue to work with them as the challenge is implemented. The Champion Group will be reporting its progress to the Prime Minister in the autumn as part of a wider report on the implementation of the Challenge.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what his policy is on the regulation of drug rehabilitation centres;
	(2)  whether he plans to give each local authority the right to limit the number of drug rehabilitation centres in its area.

Daniel Poulter: As part of the Government's public health reforms, from April 2013, the commissioning of services to treat dependence on drugs and alcohol will be the responsibility of local authorities. This will help ensure that local health services are appropriate to local health needs.
	The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates, inspects and reviews all residential treatment facilities in England. All such services have to be registered with the CQC and under the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to be registered, providers must show that they are meeting essential standards of quality and safety in all of the regulated activities that they provide. If a provider is not registered with the CQC, they cannot legally provide the service.
	New residential treatment facilities will generally require planning permission from the local council (exceptions are changes from existing residential facilities).

Epilepsy

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 701W, on epilepsy, in which month the study is expected to be published; and whether the follow up to the study will include consultation with patients and patient groups.

Norman Lamb: The final report of the systematic rapid evidence assessment is currently being peer-reviewed. It is expected to be published in late 2012. Consideration about how patients and patient groups should be involved in any next steps linked to the report's findings will be given when these become available.

Mephedrone

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many reports his Department received of health treatment for misuse of the drug MCAT in the last year;
	(2)  what treatment the NHS provides for misuse of the drug MCAT.

Daniel Poulter: The National Drug Treatment Monitoring System records information on the numbers of adults and young people (under 18) in contact with specialist drug services in England.
	The latest figures from 2010-11, show that 461 adults and 411 young people identified mephedrone (sometimes referred to as ‘M-Cat’) as their main problem drug.
	Treatment is available in the community for people who have a mephedrone problem. Treatment consists of psychosocial techniques, in the form of talking therapies which help users to understand and then to change their behaviour.

National Health Service (Pharmaceutical) Regulations 2005

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical) Regulations 2005 on rural communities and of whether any amendment of those regulations would be desirable.

Anna Soubry: The National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2005 (as amended) were replaced by the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2012 on 1 September 2012. It is our policy to enable patients to benefit wherever feasible from the professional services of both general practitioners and pharmacists. Doctors may exceptionally provide NHS dispensing services to patients, who live in designated rural areas and subject to specific conditions set out in the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2012.

NHS: Pay

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the development of the NHS South West Pay, Terms and Conditions Consortium on the National Agenda for Change negotiations.

Anna Soubry: The majority of trusts will continue to use national terms and conditions of service provided they remain fit for purpose.

NHS: Pay

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has approved any NHS trust to pay to join the NHS South West Pay, Terms and Conditions Consortium; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: It is not the responsibility or role of the Department of Health to approve any NHS Trusts paying to join the NHS South West Pay, Terms and Conditions Consortium. This is a matter for individual trusts.
	Many trusts continue to use national terms and conditions of service contained in Agenda for Change, introduced in 2004

NHS: Property

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what his policy is on the uses to which receipts from property sales by NHS Property Services Ltd retained by his Department can be put; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether receipts from property sales by NHS Property Services Ltd will be retained by his Department or passed over to HM Treasury;
	(3)  whether the public expenditure increase for his Department represented by receipts from property sales by NHS Property Services Ltd which are retained by his Department will be offset by a corresponding decrease in his Department's public expenditure total.

Anna Soubry: Plans for any sale proceeds (receipts) realised from surplus primary care trust (PCT) estate after March 2013 are still to be finalised. As with all funds provided to the Department, we prioritise funding that delivers the greatest benefits to patients and the best value for money for the taxpayer.
	Capital receipts do not reduce the departments expenditure limits; in fact the reverse is true. As departmental expenditure limits are set net of receipts, capital receipts increase the amount of capital expenditure available to the department. The rules on retention of capital receipts are laid out in HM Treasury's consolidated budgeting guidance. These allow Government Departments to keep any receipts they obtain in the spending review (SR) period, up to the amount that was taken into account in the SR.
	HM Treasury recognises that income cannot be predicted wholly accurately, and also wishes to encourage departments to find new income streams where appropriate. Departments may therefore, in any year, also retain receipts up to 20%, above the level envisaged for that year as part of the SR settlement, without an adjustment to budgets.
	If departments expect to obtain more receipts than provided for in the SR, they should talk to the Treasury about whether they may retain all or part of the income without an adjustment to budgets. When considering proposals, the Treasury will wish in particular to encourage additional income where this represents the results of positive management action, as opposed to under-forecasting. Work is continuing to determine whether potential receipts from the surplus PCT estate are now likely to exceed the amount originally forecast to a greater extent than that allowed for in the Treasury's consolidated budgeting guidance.

Perinatal Mortality

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the implications for his policies of the findings of the report by Sands on preventing babies' deaths; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: We have made reducing perinatal mortality, including stillbirth, an area of improvement for the national health service in the NHS Outcomes Framework for 2012-13, and as a result women who have suffered a stillbirth will receive additional support from the NHS.
	Following publication of the Sands report, the Department has worked closely with Sands and other organisations to develop a stillbirth prevention work programme. This programme will be overseen by a small group, including representatives from Sands, and will supported by a number of advisory groups whose membership will be tailored to the specific issue they are addressing.

Streptococcus: Babies

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect on the level of infections among newborn babies of the introduction of the Royal College of Obstetricians' 2003 guidelines in respect of group B streptococcus.

Daniel Poulter: The group B streptococcus (GBS) rate has increased from 311 in 2003 to 452 in 2010.
	The National Screening Committee (NSC) commissioned an audit in 2005 to evaluate the practice in UK obstetric units on the prevention of early-onset neonatal group B streptococcus (GBS) disease in relation to the recommendations of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologist (RCOG) in the college's Green-Top guideline.
	For recommended standards of care the RCOG published on 18 July 2012 a revised Green-Top guideline, to take into account any new evidence on the prevention of early-onset neonatal group B streptococcus disease.
	In addition, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published a new guideline on antibiotics for the prevention and treatment of early-onset neonatal infection, including GBS on 22 August 2012.
	The UK National Screening Committee is currently reviewing the evidence for screening for group B streptococcus in pregnancy against its (the committee's) criteria. A public consultation on the screening review opened on 16 July 2012 and will close on 23 October 2012.

Burma

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid her Department provides to the Burmese government; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not provide aid directly to the central Government of Burma. UK aid in Burma goes only through United Nations organisations and trusted international and local non-governmental organisations. Where circumstances allow, some of these funds go through township authorities for basic service delivery.

Burma

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she plans to take to ensure that victims of violence in Arakan State, Burma, from Rohingya and Rakhine communities receive humanitarian assistance without discrimination and that all those in need receive assistance.

Alan Duncan: The UK Government has repeatedly called for the Government of Burma to allow unhindered humanitarian access to all of the areas affected. Humanitarian agencies, including those which receive core funding from the United Kingdom, are now able to provide aid to some of the affected areas in line with the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence—but this falls short of what is needed. We continue to monitor the situation and humanitarian response closely.

Overseas Aid

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to ensure that it meets the target of spending 0.7 per cent of gross national income on overseas development assistance by 2013.

Justine Greening: My Department's settlement with Her Majesty's Treasury, as adjusted in the 2011 autumn statement, is sufficient, along with Official Development Assistance (ODA) from other Government Departments and forecasts for non-delegated expenditure limit ODA, to meet the Government's commitment of spending 0.7% of gross national income as ODA in 2013.

Overseas Aid

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much overseas development assistance has been spent in the private sector, by country, since June 2010.

Justine Greening: The private sector plays an important role in delivering some of the Department for International Development's (DFID) aid programmes.
	DFID publishes details of Official Development Assistance by country in its annual publication, Statistics on International Development:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/How-we-measure-progress/Aid-Statistics/Statistics-on-International-Development-2011/
	Information on spend in the private sector is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Syria

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the number of street children in Syria;
	(2)  what steps her Department is taking to help street children in Syria.

Alan Duncan: We remain gravely concerned by the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Syria, and the effects of the conflict on all segments of society, including children. That is why the UK has now committed £30.5 million to the humanitarian crisis affecting Syria, over half of which is dedicated to meeting essential humanitarian needs of those in Syria.
	Since July, UK support has provided food to 145,000 internally displaced people, water and sanitation to 60,000, targeted medical services and supplies for up to 25,000, and shelter and relief items across the country. Our aid is not specifically targeted at children, but it will reach them along with others in need.
	We are also supporting the work of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN body charged with ensuring children's safety, with refugees in Jordan and Lebanon. UNICEF's work includes providing counselling and child protection, and supporting children to continue their education.